Chrysler R platform
| Chrysler R Platform | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Chrysler Corporation |
| Production | 1979–1981 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Full-size |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Body style(s) | 4-door sedan |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine(s) | 3.7 L (225 cu in) Slant 6 I6 5.2 L (318 cu in) LA V8 5.9 L (360 cu in) LA V8 |
| Transmission(s) | 3-speed A727 automatic 3-speed A904 automatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 118.5 in (3,010 mm) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | C-body |
| Successor | M-body |
The Chrysler R platform was introduced for the 1979 model year as an attempt to compete with General Motors' downsized standard line (introduced 1977) and the new Ford Panther series. It comprised six models and lasted just three years.
As the middle of the 1970s approached, Chrysler was facing an increasingly worrisome organizational and financial situation due to a combination of internal and external factors. The company had suffered the embarrassment of releasing new, bulkier full-sized C-body models for 1974 which promptly flopped due to the 1973 OPEC oil embargo, and unable to fix the mounting difficulties beyond unsuccessful sales incentives, chairman Lynn Townsend took early retirement and left the reins to John Ricardo. By 1976, Chrysler had exhausted its cash reserves and had to pay for all operating costs with purely sales revenue. Ricardo attempted to seek a bailout from the Federal government to the tune of $7.5 billion, but President Jimmy Carter immediately turned him down.
Then in 1977, GM released new, radically downsized standard cars which were nearly 10 inches (250 mm) shorter and lighter by almost 700 pounds. The Chevrolet Caprice won Motor Trend Magazine's Car Of The Year Award and quickly became the best-selling car in America. Lacking the resources for a similar undertaking (GM had spent $600 million on the project), Chrysler was forced to respond in a more modest way.
The full-sized C-body Dodge and Plymouth lines were dropped for 1978, in part because they were finding few customers outside the fleet market (the C-body Chryslers lasted one more year). At this point, the mid-sized B-body Monaco and Fury were left as Chrysler's largest cars, but an outdated design that could not compete with GM and also by that point were more popular with police departments than private buyers.
During this time, the R-body project commenced which essentially amounted to taking the same old B-body platform that had its origins in the "downsized" standard Plymouths and Dodges of 1962 and grafting a new, more modern body onto them to create an ersatz challenger to the Chevrolet Caprice. There was considerable dispute over the cars' final appearance. GM had not only made its downsized big cars smaller, but styled them to look less ponderous. However, in the end, it was decided to retain a heavier "big car" look on the R-bodies with blocky, imposing lines. A variety of engineering measures were employed to the old warhorse B-body platform to reduce weight, improve reliability, and modernize components. Big-block engines vanished, and power trains now comprised the 225-cid Slant Six, 318 cid V8, and 360 cid V8 (unavailable in California because of emissions regulations) mated to the 3-speed Torqueflite automatic transmission. This done, Chrysler retired the B-body Dodge Monaco and Plymouth Fury along with the C-body Chrysler Newport and New Yorker at the close of the 1978 model year.
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